A Guide to Understanding Ground + Milled Flaxseed

Why Ground Flax seed?

Ground flax is actually the ideal way to eat flaxseed!

...This is because flax seeds are so small and it is very hard for the teeth to properly grind the seeds, which means the seed will usually pass right through you and you will be missing BIG health benefits!

So -you really want to eat ground flax.

You can grind your own or buy different varieties of ground flax.

Types of Ground Flax seed

There are many types of ground flax: flaxseed meal, ground flaxseeds (sometimes found refrigerated, sometimes not), milled flaxseed, and even cold milled flaxseed (there may be more kinds!).

Here are the differences:

Flaxseed Meal -often used as a flour, so the Omega 3 oils are usually stripped out so that it won't go rancid (just like wheat germ is separated from the baking flour)

Ground Flaxseed -This is flax that is ground using a method that heats the flax and the Omega 3 oils up.

*When the Omega 3 oils are heated up, the fragile Omega 3 oil will start to denature and break down, which will start the ground flax becoming rancid (or rotting). If you ever smell flax that smells like turpentine or tastes bitter or just has a bad aftertaste, the flax is going rancid.

This is why it SHOULD always be refrigerated, and if it isn't, don't even bother. However, we still don't recommend buying ground flax,because it may have been shipped across the world and stored in a hot place, causing unintended rancidity.

Milled Flaxseed -This is usually just a fancy way to say ground flaxseed, see notes above.

Cold Milled Flaxseed -This is special flax! ...Just like Cold-Pressed Olive Oil is important because the Omega 3 is protected from being heated up.... so also, should flaxseed be protected when it is ground or milled flaxseed.

Cold Milling allows the flaxseed to be ground/milled in a way that never heats up the flaxseed.

(If you grind flax in your blender or coffee grinder, it is getting heated up enough that the Omega 3 can start to break down).

There are only 2 Types of Flax that we Recommend:

Grinding Whole seeds fresh.We recommend grinding your own fresh whole flax seeds and storing them in the fridge, or

Cold Milled Flaxseed
We recommend eating cold milled flax seeds -(yes, it has been ground already, however, it is ground in a way that protects the Omega 3 oils ...and this is the reason that you want to buy the cold milled flaxseed),

Cold see flax benefits:

The farmer grinds the flax in such a way that the omega 3 is never exposed to heat.

This protects the essential Omega 3 oils that are so important and beneficial for your heart, joints, skin, immune system and general health.

Want to learn more about cold milled flaxseed and how it protects the nutritional value and benefits of flaxseed?

Flax and Weight Loss: Flax helps in weight lossbecause the Omega 3 tells your brain you are full while the fiber and protein take a long time to digest keeping you full for longer. Read more about Weight Loss and Flax.

Flax and Diabetes: Flax is a Low Glycemic Food and it helps Stabilize Blood sugar. Flax has helped people lower their A1C levels. Read more about Flax for Diabetics.

Flax and Inflammation: The Omega 3 and the Lignans in flax both have been studied for their inflammation decreasing properties. Flax helps with inflammatory disorders, such as: Asthma, Allergies, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, etc.

Flax and your Brain: Flax is a Brain food -the Omega 3 is essential, which means your body can't make it -ya gotta eat it! Omega 3 is crutial for children's brain development and Omega 3 can help with Alzheimers, Dementia, Sleeping difficulties, ADHD, and Depression. Read more about Brain Omega 3 Flax.

Flax and Cancer: Flax has been studied and the Flax hull lignans have been shown to help prevent and fight cancer. We know lignans also help decrease inflammation -which can be a problem in cancer as well. Food is so important for helping us prevent illness including cancer.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
 Hippocrates

Flax and Hot Flashes: Flax Lignans are a natural plant source of estrogen and have been extremely effective for helping relieve and eliminate hot flashes, night sweats and even promote vaginal moisture.

Flax and the Digestive System: Flax has soluble and insoluble fiber, which gently moves waste and toxins out of the body. Flax also has mucilage fiber which helps heal and soothe any bowel irritation and inflammation.

Flax and Healthy Skin: Flax and the Omega 3 help decrease and heal Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, and dry skin.

Flax and the Immune System: Flax can help the body heal itself. by giving your body better nutrition, your body is better able to heal itself.

Eating flax helps supplement a healthy diet and lifestyle.

You can read more of the many health flax benefits-the health potential and why flax is so good for us, kids, and our pets!

Ground flax vs Flax seed meal

There is more information above under "Types of Flax".

The Similarities:

Ground flaxseed and Flax meal are both ground through a regular grinding process that heats up the seed.

The Differences:

The differences between the 2 are that Ground flaxseed is the entire seed ground up. Flax meal has the Omega 3 essential oils taken out to help the flax meal last longer and have a more stable shelf life.

Sadly, when the Omega 3 oil is taken out, we are losing one of the incredible benefits of flaxseed.

This is one of the problems with so much of the processed and packaged foods we eat-

...the omega 3 is taken out because it causes the food to break down faster and go rancid faster.

The whole point of processed foods is to help them last longer, so by stripping essential nutrients out, they are able to make food last longer.

This is when so many people are no longer getting the nutrients their body needs.

How to Eat Ground Flaxseeds

There are so many ways to eat ground flaxseeds. Some of these are:

Mix ground flax into yogurt

Add ground flax seed to any cereal like oatmeal

Add ground flax to applesauce or cottage cheese

Add ground flax seed to soups

We love adding ground flax seed to fruit smoothies

Sprinkle ground flaxseeds on a salad

There are a LOT more ideas of how to eat flax and substitution tips, just check out: How to eat flax seed.

Flax seed is so easy to add to a diet, has so many health benefits, and is such a great economical value-

...that it makes sense to add ground flax seed as part of a well balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle.

The Omega 3, fiber, proteing and flax hull lignans that are in flax are the main reasons there are so many healthy flax benefits.

When you give your body with the nutrients it needs, your body is better able to heal itself.

What Kind of Flax should I buy?

First, we always recommend buying your food local,

...preferrably from a farmer's market or some way where you KNOW where your food is coming from.

We all know there are marketing tactics that many big food companies and grocery stores use (including the word "Natural" that is not FDA regulated).

Their primary interest is NOT your health or the best foods for you; their primary interest is to get your hard earned $.

On the other hand, many small, local farmers are trying to make a difference and grow good food -not make billions.

Second, if you are buying any type of pre ground flaxseed (not whole seed) we ALWAYS recommend buying ONLY Cold Milled Flaxseed -if it isn't cold milled, there is a good chance it is or will soon be rancid. And use your taste test (read more about the taste test here).

Avoid any flax that isn't labeled NON-GMO -unless you're ok with the unknown.

If you don't have cold milled flax available, buy whole seed and grind it in a strong blender or a coffee grinder.

Third, we are very partial to the extremely high quality Omega 3, gourmet cold milled golden flaxseed that we sell. It comes from a family farmer in North Dakota - it is NOT GMO, and no pesticides, herbicides, etc are used.

What Our Visitors Say...

"Even at the full price the Cold Milled Flax is still cheaper than Metamucil or other fiber supplements that run about $12 for only 15 ounces! That's a great deal!" -K.A.

"Ellie, Thanks for your email. Just a short testament: Have been trying for years to get my cholesterol numbers to be on the healthy side. Got your flax at the farmers market this past summer and took your advice on consuming it. Had a blood test 2 weeks ago and my Cholesterol number is at 181, down from 262. Healthy eating and exercise: definitely the way to go. Thanks again."
-- Peter W.

"I have several health problems: Type 2 Diabetes + Constipation being my top complaints. When I was introduced to Golden Flax seed, I was drinking fiber daily + lived on Senna. I no longer have to buy Senna or fiber."

"My hot flashes were so bad and I had up to 3 or 4 times in the night. My sleep was interrupted, not to mention the embarrassment of breaking out in a sweat and a red face during conversations.... Oh boy, I have not had a hot flash for about 3 weeks."

"The best thing that happened is that it has really helped stabilize my blood sugar. When blood sugar is stable without a lot of peaks + valleys, it's easier to lose weight + I'm game for that."
-- Thanks, Sherrie